Forward to 2032 and Beyond
A Look Ahead to What Comes After Giant Steps by Michelle Janssen and Joe Klen ’97
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hat comes after giant steps?
First, we remain steadfast in our commitment to our time-honored mission, the liberal arts, and the charge of our first president, Elihu Baldwin, who said, “Our purpose is never to rest while Wabash College shall lack any advantages for the student, which are offered by the highest class of American colleges.” Giant Steps was conceived as the first of two fundraising campaigns leading to Wabash’s bicentennial in 2032. While the exact priorities of the second fundraising campaign will be further developed in the coming months and years, there are some things we know hold true to Baldwin’s vision. There will always be a need for a robust Wabash endowment to support our people and strengthen our programs. Scholarship funds that make a Wabash education possible for so many
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young men will continue to be critically important to future generations of enrolling students. Additional endowed scholarship dollars will also allow the College to work toward a longer-term goal of reducing or eliminating debt for our graduates. Similarly, the track record of success of our alumni across the decades and the changing global landscape give us the confidence to double down on our commitment to our liberal arts curriculum. A Wabash education will set up men for purposeful lives where they will make a difference in our ever-changing and often difficult world. It continues to be rooted in deep relationships and rigorous classroom preparation and discussion; balanced with cocurricular opportunities, athletics, clubs, fraternities, and the arts; and grounded in the trust and responsibility embedded in the Gentleman’s Rule.
Whatever priorities arise to strengthen our liberal arts living and learning experience—and all we hope to do to innovate in our traditional framework—will come with a significant price tag. An important lesson reaffirmed from operating in a pandemic is that our model of liberal arts teaching and learning best happens in a residential environment. For this to always be our focus, the need will arise in the coming years to enhance our residential campus. For example, we know there is a need for a new campus center to serve as a campus living room and to create a stronger sense of belonging for the entire community. Lead gift fundraising for a campus center to replace the Sparks Center started during Giant Steps and will continue for the next few years through its completion. Major buildings only come along every 50 years or so and are truly once-in-a-generation projects that require significant philanthropic support.
